Archive for 2021

The Dent County Sheriff’s Department has released reports from the latter part of August. On Saturday, August 21st, a deputy observed a 24-year-old Salem woman near a residence on North Iron Street. The deputy knew the woman to have an active arrest warrant through Dent County. She was arrested and transported to the Dent County Jail and was incarcerated. She was also arrested for possession of a controlled substance except for 35 grams or less of marijuana/synthetic cannabinoid. The next day, a deputy traveled to a residence in the 1000 block of Dent County Road 5070 to serve an arrest warrant. At that time, a 34-year-old Salem man was arrested for an active arrest warrant through Dent County. The man was transported to the Dent County Jail and was incarcerated. On Tuesday, August 24th, a deputy conducted a traffic stop in the 3000 block of West Highway 32. During the course of the stop, a 38-year-old Salem man was arrested for driving while being intoxicated. He was transported to the Dent County Jail where he was fingerprinted, issued a summons and released to a sober party. On August 26th, a deputy observed a 27-year-old Salem man riding a bicycle on Second Street. The deputy knew the man to have an active arrest warrant through Dent County. The deputy attempted to make contact with the man, but he fled and ignored commands to stop. The deputy caught up to the man on Water Street and he was arrested for the active warrant and resisting arrest by fleeing. He was transported to the Dent County Jail and was incarcerated. The next day, Friday the 27th, a deputy conducted a traffic stop on North Highway 19 near the Short Bend Conservation Area. During the traffic stop, a 24-year-old Salem man was arrested for the possession of 10 grams or less of marijuana and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. The man was transported to the Dent County Jail where he was fingerprinted, issued a summons and released. Later that same day, a deputy traveled to a residence in the 2500 block of North Highway 19 to serve an arrest warrant. As a result, a 58-year-old Salem man was arrested for having an active arrest warrant through Dent County. The man was transported to the Dent County Jail and incarcerated. And finally on August 30th, a deputy conducted a traffic stop in the 500 block of South Main Street. During the stop, a 34-year-old Salem woman was arrested for having two active arrest warrants through the Dent County Sheriff’s Office. The woman was transported to the Dent County Jail and incarcerated. Please call the Sheriff’s Office at 729-3241 if you have any information regarding an ongoing investigation.

The Dent County Fire Protection Board of Directors will be meeting this evening at 6:00 at the fire station at #2 South Main. After the roll call and approval of the consent agenda, the board will review the minutes of the August meeting before hearing the financial report and approving bills. The next item on the agenda will be the calendar review followed by the monthly reimbursement report before addressing any old or new business, followed by various reports. The date will then be set for the October meeting before adjourning. The meeting of the Dent County fire protection district board of directors is open to the public.

An accident happened Monday afternoon just before 5:00 in Phelps County on CR3060 at HyPoint Industrial Park Drive. According to the report from the highway patrol a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado being driven by 52-year-old Susan Cornelius of St. James turned into the path of a 2010 Ford Flex being driven by 59-year-old Lorri Waldron also of St. James. Waldron was taken by EMS to Phelps Health in Rolla for treatment of minor injuries. Both vehicles had moderate damage and were removed from the scene by Spurgeon’s Towing. The report went on to state that both drivers were wearing seat restraints at the time of the accident.

There will be a University of Missouri Grazing School at the MU Wurdack Research Center September 22-24 at Cook Station, Missouri. To enroll or for more information contact Nathan Bilke online at nathan.bilke@usda.gov or call (660) 654-4576 or contact Gatlin Bunton online at buntong@missouri.edu or call (573) 775-2135. There will also be a Grazing School in Houston September 15-17. Call the Texas County Extension Office at (417) 967-4545.

The Dent County Commissioners held a meeting Tuesday morning at the Dent County Courthouse. City of Salem and Dent County Economic Development Director Sally Burbridge was in attendance and presented her monthly report on possible economic development leads including one state lead. Burbridge talked about the voluntary residential demolition program where the owners of the three properties have paid their portions and the demolitions should begin this week. She said she has been talking with communities about getting a sample bid for doing timber clearing in the certified site area as that will have to be done between the months of November and March. She said the “Love Thy Neighbor” program worked on seven houses between August 8th and 12th with three major projects and four smaller ones. She also said $80,000 was secured for next year through the Southcentral Missouri Community Action Agency. Burbridge reported the city submitted an application for the construction trades program for the “Strong Communities Award” from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines on August 27th. The winner will receive $15,000 and $3,000 goes to the runners-up. She also talked with the commissioners about the Dent County July unemployment rate sinking to 3.8% in July from the five percent mark in June. The rate plummeted when the COVID unemployment benefits in Missouri stopped and the Dent County Civilian Work Force dropped by 291 people who either stopped looking for work or became employed. She said there will be a mixer on Tuesday, September 14th from 6:00 until 8:00 at Echo Bluff State Park Lodge to pull individuals and agencies interested in economic development together. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray stated grading would be done on Dent County Roads 5650 and 6190 while materials would be added and grading done on county road 6040. He also said the bridge work on Dent County Road 4210 is now expected to last a month where the road will be closed. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson reported materials would be added and grading done on Dent County Road 4020 while only grading would be done on county road 2210. He said brush would be cut on county road 2240 and a man would be doing chip and seal patch repair on county road 3220 where a vehicle caused damage to the road. Larson said a grader is down from last week as they are waiting on a repair person. If they can repair the machine, additional grading will be done. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles said he would be attending an External Relations meeting Thursday as well as the MRPC Board meeting in St. James. He also wanted to congratulate the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce for another successful rodeo over the Labor Day holiday. The commissioners agreed to seek bids next week for propane for the courthouse for the winter on a keep filled basis. The bids will be due by 10:00 the morning of September 27th. At the last meeting, the commissioners agreed to a contract with Corky Stack from Stack Engineering on the scope of the exterior work project for the courthouse, his services and putting the needed work out for bid. The contract calls for an 11% fee plus an hourly rate for inspections on the courthouse. The next meeting of the Dent County Commissioners will be Monday morning at 9:00 and the meeting is open to the public.

The Salem Board of Aldermen will hold a special meeting tonight at 5:45 in closed session to discus personnel and contracts at the Salem Community Center@The Armory. The meeting was called by Mayor Kim Steelman.

Representatives from the Missouri State Parks invite the public to attend an informational meeting at Montauk State Park this Saturday. The meeting will begin at 1:00 in the afternoon at the campground amphitheater. The public is invited to share comments and ask questions about the park and its operations. The representatives from the park will be present to provide information and to answer questions. Input from the public is important to Missouri State Parks. These informational meetings, which are being held in all state parks and historic sites, help create two-way communication with the public. The meetings give staff the opportunity to let people know the current status and future plans for the park or historic site, and they offer visitors the opportunity to comment on the facilities. The public is strongly encouraged to follow social-distancing guidelines and be proactive in protecting themselves and others. Montauk State Park is located 22 miles southwest of Salem on Highway 119 in Dent County. For more information about the event, call the park at 573-548-2201. For more information on state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com.